Working with linked Word and Excel documents

- Wouldn't it be nice if every time we completed…a beautiful InDesign table, it would never be edited again?…You spend hours bringing to life an…otherwise dull Excel worksheet…only to have the data edited.…Now, you've gotta get that into your InDesign table.…The good news is that we create links to Excel files…and Word table documents…that can automatically update in our InDesign file…just like images.…There are a few things you need to know about…maintaining the format of your table though…so let's take a look.…

The first step is setting a preference in InDesign…so that your Excel and Word documents…will link to the InDesign document.…I'm gonna go to InDesign Preferences,…on the Mac it's under the InDesign menu,…on Windows, it's under the Edit menu,…and we're going to go down to the File Handling section.…Here's what we need to set,…Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheet Files.…I'm gonna turn that on.…Now, when I place an Excel file,…it'll be linked to this InDesign document.…

I'll go to the File menu and Place…

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Released

8/25/2015

What if you could create graphics-based tables or tables that don't even look like tables? Tables are powerful design tools, but they're not always used to their full potential. In this course, Diane Burns shows how to create and format tables in new ways. Learn how to create special alternating fills and interesting stroke patterns; use graphic cells to integrate images into your tables; change the shape of a table with anchored shapes; and highlight columns to draw the eye to important data. Plus, find out how to use tables in unique ways such as creating infographics and complex page layouts.